Sep 18 Savor Sunday: The Power of Napping

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Tess from The Bold Life at a Portland coffee house. Over coffee and chocolate we got to know each other and Tess asked me a lot of thoughtful questions. But my all time favorite was:

“What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your cats?”

I replied, “My cats have taught me the importance of getting enough sleep!”

Most Americans intuitively know how important sleep is, without having to learn from cats. Unfortunately, they don’t value it enough. Lost sleep is a big problem and people are becoming more and more sleep deprived. According to USA Today, “lost sleep costs the average American worker 11.3 days, or $2,280, in lost productivity each year, and the total cost to the nation is $63.2 billion annually.”

I used to be one of these statistics too. I never seemed to get enough sleep and always felt tired. Like my cats, I now go to bed early, rise early in the morning, and I’m taking more naps in the early afternoon. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a daily 20 to 30 minute nap can leave people feeling more alert, productive, and decrease on the job mistakes. For example, a NASA study found that military pilots and astronauts who took a 40-minute nap “improved performance by 34% and alertness 100%.”

Want to incorporate the power of napping into your life? All you have to do is make the time.

Napping is easier for me now that I work from home. But when I worked a day job, I would take naps during my lunch break in the park or in an empty cubicle. If you can’t take naps during the work day, incorporate small naps into your weekend routine.